Drafting instrument.



G. H. LITTLE.

DRAFTING INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION rum) arm. 11

Patented Sept. 19, 1911.

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DRAFTING INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 11, 1901.

Patented Sept. 19,1911.

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CHARLES H. LITTLE, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO.

DRAFTING INSTRUMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 19, 1911.

Application filed September 11, 1901. SeriaINo. 75,004.

To all whom 'it may concern: I

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. LI'I'ILE, a citizen of the United States, resident of Cleveland, county of Cuyahoga, and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Drafting Instruments, of which the following is a specification, the principle of the invention being herein explained and the best mode in which I have contemplated applying that principle, so as to distinguish it from other lnventions.

My invention relates to drafting instruments for drawing parallel lines and particularly to that class of such instruments which combine functions of the parallel ruler and the protractor.

Said inventlon consists of means hereinafter fully described and particularly set forth in the claims.

The annexed drawings and the following description set forth in detail certain mechanism embodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting but one of the .various mechanical forms in which the principle of the invention may be used.

Inits broadest aspects the invention comprises means for carrying a drafting instru- -ment, such as a protractor or ruler, in such manner that it may be moved over the entire area of the drafting boardwhile its angular position is not changed, thereby dispensing with a number of separate drawing tools, each one of which must be separately moved and positioned in order to insure parallelism in executing the work.

In said annexed drawlngs :-Figure I represents a perspective View of a device embodying my ii vention secured to a drawing board. Fig." II represents a plan view of same upon an enlarged scale. .Fig. III represents a vertical axial "cross-section upon an enlarged scale of a form of protractor and its attached parts forming a art of my invention. Fig. IV represents a etail plan view of a portion of the protractor device. Fig. V represents a view taken upon the plane indicated by the line 55 in Fig. III, showin the straight-edges or scales used in my invention removed therefrom. Fig. VI represents a vertical longitudinal section of a portion of'the rotractor device and an attached straight-e ge or scale, illustrating a manner of removably securing such straight-edges or scales. Fig. VII represents a vertical transverse section of a Fig. VIII represents a vertical transverse sectional view of a second form of such support.

An anchor support A, Figs. I and II, is secured to one of .the upper corners of a drawing board B, the instrument as illusform of anchor-support which may be used. I

trated being adapted to be secured to the upper left hand corner of such board. Such support consists of. a fixable member A and a pivoted member A, the pivotal bolt a being substantially parallel with the drawing surface, as illustrated. -Threaded into the free end of such pivoted member is a screw a whose lower, end bears upon the fixable member A whereby it is seen the distance of such pivoted member from said fixed member may be variably fixed by turning such screw. Upon said pivoted member A are pivotally mounted two parallel arms C C of a parallel ruler member, such ruler member being constructed upon the principles of an ordinary parallel ruler, and having for one of its elements the pivoted member of the anchor-support, so that, it is seen, such ruler member 1s capable of oscillation upon said support. The transverse mem ber C connecting the free ends of the arms C C of the said ruler member, is provided with pivotal bearin s d d upon which are respectively mounte two parallel arms D of a second parallel ruler member. It 1s hence seen that said second transverse member C constitutes an element common to the two parallel ruler members, and that the pivotal bearings are located so that the plane passing through their geometrical axes will intersect the plane "pass ng through the geometrical axes of oscillatlon of the members or arms G C. It there- 3 fore seen that the oscillation of the compound parallel ruler above described will impart to the transverse member D, connecting the free ends of the arms D, a parallel motion, that is a motion such that all points in said connecting member Upon theconnecting member D is secured the plate E, Fig. IV, upon which is pivotally mounted a circular disk F provided upon its edge with a scaled are, operating in connection with the fixed line 0 on said plate, Fig. V, and determining the angular relationship of such disk and the line 0, or the connecting member D. Said disk is provided with a hollow arbor f secured thereto and secured to said arbor is a knob G. The

. pin f screwed to the plate E forms the pivotal bearing for the disk and arbor, the upper end of such pin being threaded to receive two lock nuts y, by means of which relative angular movement of the plate and disk may be permitted or said two members be fixed relatively to each other by frictional contact. Secured to the bottom of the disk F is an arm F to which is removably secured a straight-edge or ruler F One convenient method of securing such removability is that illustrated in Fig. VI in which the ruler is provided with two metal bushings f and the arm, F is provided with two split pins f which snap into such bushings and so secure the ruler. The split pins f are secured to the member F by being forced into suitable apertures therein. In a slot 9 formed in the knob G and secured to the disk F is a spring stop F provided with a stop-pin which passes through an aper ture formed in said disk and snugly fits into a recess or hole 6 formed in the plate E, thereby positively connecting the disk and plate and preventing their relative angular movement. Said hole e is located so that when engaged by the pin f, the ruling edge of the straight-edge or ruler F will be located at right angles to the connecting member D., Arranged with their centers upon the arc of a circle whose center lies upon the geometrical axis of rotation of the disk is a series of holes e similar to e and hence adapted to be engaged by the stop-pin f These holes 6 are located so that the disk and plate may be secured to each other as above described, in positions such that the ruling-edge may be caused to occupy the specific angular positions, relative to its above mentioned perpendicular position, of 30, 45, '60, and 90 degrees. 1

In order to secure the disk and plate at intermediate positions, a clamp G consisting of a pin threaded into the disk, andbearing upon the plate, as shown in Fig. III, may be used as means auxiliary to the clamp nutsv 1. Upon the lower surface of saiddisk F is secured the second arm F provided with a curved portion f shown in dotted lines in Fig. V. Said arm is secured by means of two thumb screws f F, threaded in to the portion f, and passing through the disk, screw f passing through an elongated slot f formed in said disk. A second straight-edge or ruler F is secured to the arm F in a manner similar to that in which ruler F 2 is secured and in a manner such that the ruling edge will be substantially at right angles with the ruling edge of the ruler F By loosening the thumb screws -f thumb screw f forms a pivotal bearing for arm F and screw f oscillates in the slot f. The two rulers may hence be adjusted so as to secure an angle of exactly 90 degrees between the two straight or ruling edges to form a draftsmans square, at the same time permitting the arm F and ruler F attached .thereto to be entirely and readily removed from the instrument when so desired. Said Fig. II, the successive positions of the straight-edges being parallel with each,

other. In this manner the straight-edges may be used in lieu of the T-square ordinarily used, and by lifting the spring-stop so as to disengage the plate Eand then turning the disk by means of the knob so as to cause the stop-pin to rengage the proper hole 0 the straight-edges may be placed at angles of 30, 45, G0, and degrees as may be required, thereby performing the function of the ordinary triangles used by draftsmen. In addition to the above functions one of the straight-edges together with the scaled arc, as is readily understood, may be used as a protractor for measuring angles.

,The scales or straight-edges are made readily detachable in order that they may be easily removed and replaced by scales or straight-edges of different character or lengths, such changeability being desirable as will be readily understood.

The arms C C are made of flexible material such as steel of comparatively small thickness, the flexibility being in a direction transverse relatively to the plane of movement of the parallel ruler member. Suchflexibility serves two purposes, first, it reduces the possibility of breaking orstraming the pivots upon the anchor support, when the device ,is accidentally struck, and secondly, it permits the scales to lie firm and flat upon the drawing surface. By turning the screw a the outer end of the parallel ruler member pivoted thereto may be elevated and thatpart of the parallel ruler members'intermediate ofthe ends caused to travel above and clear the drawing surface, thus allowing the instrument to move freely. In order to secure such above described adjustment, the anchor support is constructed so as to cause the p voted member thereof to be located a distance from the drawing surface such that the weightof the parallel ruler members will cause or tend to cause the outer or free ends of the scales to tip upwardly, when the pivoted and fixed members of the support are in contact with each other, and the protractor portion is lying upon the drawing surface, so that it is seen the elevation of such pivoted member to the proper point by means of t-headjusting screw will cause the rulers to lie flat as is required. Such result might be obtained by considerable increase of weight of the parts attached to the free end of the parallel ruler device but such increase is objectionable, as will be readily understood, as tending to obstruct the ready manipulation of the instrument.

When securing such adjustment, the pivoted support member is elevated as described until the extremity of the second parallel ruler member and its immediately attached parts are caused to be slightly raised from the drawing surface and the free end of the instrument is supported upon the end of the scale or scales attached thereto. The ordinary pressure of the hand upon the knob, will then cause the scales to descend and lie flat upon such surface, the elasticity of the arms F and F permitting such action.

As illustrated in Figs. I and II, the fixed member of the anchor support is screwed or otherwise permanently fastened to the drawing board or surface. When however, it is desired to provide an instrument which may be readily detached from the drawing board or surface an anchor support of the form illustrated in Fig. VIII may be provided. In such support the lower fixable member is provided with three or more downwardly projecting sharp pointed lugs, and the upper pivotal member to which the parallel ruler arms are pivoted is made of sufficient weight to properly balance the instrument when the support is placed upon the drawing board or surface without other means for securing same than that offered by the pointed lugs before mentioned. It is preferable to place most of such requlred balancingweight of metal in such upper member in order to permit the pivoted member to lie with sufficient closeness to permit the pivotal arms of the parallel ruler memher to be secured at a distance from the drawing board such that the adjustment of the instrument to cause the rulers or scales to'lie flat will be required to be made by elevating the pivoted member, as will be understood from the foregoing description.

Other modes of ap lying the principle of my invention may e employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards .the 'mechanism herein disclosed provided the means stated by any one of the following claims or the equivalentof such stated means be employed.

angles and angularly adjustable relatively to each other, one of such members being provided with means for determining its angular relationship with the other.

3. In combination, an anchor plate, a fixable base to which the anchor plate is pivoted, a pair of parallel ruler members pivoted to the anchor plate to swing transversely to the plane of movement thereof, a cross-bar to which the outer ends of said parallel ruler members are pivoted, and a second pair of parallel ruler members pivoted to the cross-bar, the line of its pivots being transverse to the line of the pivots securing the first-named ruler members to the cross-bar.

4. The combination of an anchor-suppm't having a pivotal member, a parallel-ruler member pivoted to such pivoted supportmember, the axes of movement of said pivoted and ruler members being transversely located relatively to each other, means for variably fixing the position of said pivoted member, a second parallel ruler member pivoted to the free end of the first mentioned parallel ruler member, and a straight edge secured to the free end of the second parallel ruler member.

5. The combination of an anchor-support, comprising a fixable and pivoted member, a parallel ruler member pivoted to said pivoted member, means for adjustably fixing the pivoted member, a second parallel ruler member pivoted to the free end of the first mentioned parallel ruler member, and a straight edge secured to the free end of the second parallel ruler member.

6. In a drafting instrument, a flexible oscillatory parallel ruler device, the flexibility being in a direction transverse relatively to the plane of movement of said device, the arms of the ruler being rigid transversely to that direction.

7. In a drafting instrument, the combination of an anchor-support having a pivoted member, a parallel-ruler device comprising two members, one of the latter being mounted so as to be oscillator upon such pivoted member, and the other ein mounted so as to be, oscillatory upon -the rst, the axes of oscillation of such two ruler members being located in intersecting planes, means for variably fixing the position of said pivoted member, and a straight edge attached to the free end of the outer member of the parallel ruler device. in

8. In a drafting instrument, the combination with an oscillating parallel ruler device,

of a scale or ruler secured thereto by means of an elastic connection.

9. In a drafting instrument, the combination with an oscillatory parallel ruler device provided at its extremity with a flexible arm, of a scale or ruler secured to said arm.

10. In a drafting instrument, the combination of an oscillatory parallel ruler device, means for adjusting such device in a direction transverse relatively to its plane of movement, and a scale or ruler secured to the free end of said device by means of a flexible connection.

11. In adra-fting instrument, the combination of an oscillating parallel ruler device having a plurality of arms, a scale or ruler secured to the free end thereof, the arms of said device being flexible in a direction transverse to the plane of its movement and rigid in the direction parallel with such plane, and means for adjusting said device in a direction transverse to itsmovement.

12. In a drafting instrument, the combination of an anchor support having a pivoted member, a parallel ruler device comprising two members, one of the latter being mounted so as to be oscillatory upon such pivoted member, and the other being so mounted as tobe oscillatory upon the first member, the axes of' oscillation of such two ruler members being located in intersecting planes, and means for variably fixing the position of said pivoted member, such parallel ruler device being elastically flexible transversely to the direction of its oscillation. 7

1.3. In a drafting instrument, in combination, an anchor block having a fixed member and a member pivoted thereto and oscillating in vertical plane, an adjusting screw passing through the oscillating member and bearing uponthe stationary member; and a jointed arm pivotedto the oscillating member and swinging transversely to the direc tion of oscillation of the latter.

14 In a drafting instrument, in combination, an anchor block having a fixed member and a member pivoted thereto and oscillating inyertical plane, an adjusting screwpassing through the oscillating member and bearing upon the stationary member; and a jointed arm pivoted to the oscillating mem-- ber and swinging transversely to thedirection of oscillation of the latter, such arm being elastically flexible in a direction transverse to the direction of its oscillation.

15. In a drafting instrument, in cdmbination, air-anchor block having a fixed memher and a member pivoted thereto and oscil-- lating in vertical plane, an adjusting screw passing' through the oscillating member and bearing upon the fixed member, a pair of parallel bars pivoted to the oscillating memthe outer ends of the bars, a second pair 0 arms pivotally attached to the cross-bar, lines passing respectively through such two sets of pivots in the cross-bar intersecting, and a head pivotally uniting the outer ends of said second named pair of arms.

16. In combination, a drafting board, a pivoted anchor block attached at one corner of the board, a parallel ruler member pivoted to the block, a second parallel ruler pivoted to the outer end of the first-mentioned ruler member, and a drawing implement attached to the outer end of the second named ruler member, the two sets of parallel ruler members swinging on their pivots in planes transverse to the plane of oscilla-' tion of the anchor block.

17. In combination, a drafting board, a pivoted anchor block attached at one corner of the board, a parallel ruler member pivoted to the block, a second parallel ruler pivoted to the outer end of the first-mentioned ruler member, the lines passing through the pivots of each ruler member at the connected ends of such members intersecting, and a drawing implement attached to the outer end of the second named ruler member, the two sets of parallel ruler members swinging on their pivots in planes transverse to the plane of oscillation of the anchor block.

18. In combination, a drafting board, an anchor block attached at one corner of the board and having an oscillating member, a stop for limiting the approach of the oscillating member of the block toward the board, a parallel ruler member pivoted to the block, a second parallel ruler member pivotedv to the outer end of the first-mentioned ruler member, the side arms of the parallel rulers being flexible in a direction transverse to the direction of their oscillathe outer end of'the second member. 1 y

19. In a drafting board, in combination, an anchor block secured thereto, a jointed med ruler "tion, and a drawing implement attached' to l arm pivotally attached to the block'- and swinging over the board and supported by the block outof contact therewith, such arm being formed of bars flexible in a direction transverse to its oscillation and rigid in the plane of oscillation, and a'drafting implement'carried by the jointed arm.

20. In combination, an anchor support; a parallel ruler pivotally attached to the anchor support; a second parallel ruler pivotally attached to the .outer end of the first parallel ruler, the pivots at the adjacent ends of the'two parallel rulers being in intersecting planes; a protractor attached to the outer end of the second parallel ruler; and a straight edge attached to the protractor.

21. In a drafting instrument, an oscillatory parallel ruler device having flexible arms, the flexibility being greater in a direction transverse to the plane of movement of the device than in said plane, and means for adjusting the parallel ruler device in planes transverse to the direction of its oscillation.

22. In a drafting machine, in combination, a parallel ruler member comprising arms flexible in a. direction transverse to the plane of its movement, and an anchor for such member upon which it oscillates and adapted to hold it away from the surface With which it may be used and means for adjusting the parallel ruler device in planes transverse to the direction of its oscillation.

23. In a drafting machine, in combination, a parallel ruler member, an anchor therefor adapted to hold such member away from the surface with which it is to cooperate, and a second parallel ruler member mounted at the free end of the first-mentioned ruler member, one of such ruler members comprising arms flexible in a direction transverse to the lane of its oscillation and means for adjusting the parallel ruler device in planes transverse to the direction of its oscillation.

2 In a drafting machine, in combination, two parallel ruler members, one being carried by a fixed anchor and carrying the other, one of such ruler members comprising arms flexible in a direction transverse to the plane of their movement and means for adjusting the two parallel ruler members to difl'c'rent planes of movement. 7

25. In combination, a drafting board, a jointed arm pivotally attached to the board, a protractor mounted upon the outer end of the arm, and a square attached at its angle to the protractor.

26. In combination with a drafting board, a head graduated in degrees, a support, clamps secured to the head, scaled rules removably secured to the clamps, means connected with the head and support for carrying the rules consisting of a jointed arm formed in sections and pivoted on common centers and one end of the jointed arm pivoted to the support, and the other end pivoted in the head, and means connected with the head for changing the angles of the rules.

Signed by me, this 7th day of September,

CHAS. H. LITTLE. Attested by D. T. DAVIES, A. E. MERKEL. 

